The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-07-30
NUMBER Ia.
AMERICAN MATCHES.
Sixty Thousand Millions Produced ASs'
aliy in the United States.

Inou91n0
ally in the United ststes.
The statistics gathered by the board
Of underwriters for New York City
show that nearly one-third of the fires
are caused by the careless use OF
matches. Whether the safety match
now in common use does away with
the danger Of fire is disputed ques-
ton. Their chief merit is that they
will not take fire when stepped upons
and rats and mice can not light them
by nibbling. The invention of the
safety match dates from the introduce
ton of red. or amorphous. phosphorus
in place of common phosphorus,
which caused serious ill-health among
the match-makers. Red phosphorus is
harmless to the matchmaker and to
the child who may happen to taste 1t.
But it will not mix with chloratc OF
potash, and so finally the splint was
tipped with chlorate of potash and the
phosphorus mixed with very fine sand
and put on the box. A German named
Kammerer was the first TO make them,
and it was once thought that they
would drive the sulphur match out OF
use. In England the use of any other
ind was forbidden by act of Parlia-
ment In Sweden and Switzer-
land they are almost the only matches
used. The necessity of carrying
the box with the matches is. of courses
their great drawback. and many at
tempts to make a safety match which
could be lighted without the box have
been made. A match with the phos-
phorus at one end and the potash at
the other was once introduced; the
splint had to be broken in two and tho
ends rubbed together in order to light
Imported safety matches made in Swe-
den and Austria are beginning to make
much Roadway owing to their extreme
cheapness. At present they can be
bought, Notwithstanding the duty OF
IS per cent on the matches and 100
per cent. on the boxes, for almost the
same price rs the commonest sulphur
match. One dollar gross is an aver
age price, or about 1874 matches for q
cent The box containing each hum
bred matches Is an ingenious affair,
being composed of thick shaving OF
wood with notches cut where the cor
ners come. Safety matches in boxes
containing fifty matches are retailed al
seventy-five cents a gross. The Treas
ury decision levying duty Of 100 pei
cent. upon the box is due to the plea
that the box is really part Of the match
without 1t the splints OF wood are moi
matches in the ordinary sense of the
word. There els but one firm In this
country which makes safety matches
The price of American-made matches
| is higher than that of the imported ones,
but it is said that they are Of far bet
ter quality.
One firm in this country makes wax
matches. the machinery being ingenious
and almost automatic throughout. But
owing to the competition of Italian ant
French wax matches, it is small bus
mess still. The little fancy boxes Of
wax tapers sold for cent can not bt
made at all in this country for thai
price, and our manufacturers do mo-
know how they are imported and sold
for that price at profit. One maker
| in Austria is said to make wax matches
at the rate of ten miles of taper a day
using several tons Of phosphorus every
year.
According to the census Of 1880 there
were then thirty-seven establishments
engaged in making matches in thu
United States, employing capital o
| 81, ia, $50. and turning out "a, 66S, AN
worth of matches. This represent
about sixty thousand million matches
At present the number Of establish
ments is smaller, but the capital and
product much larger Since the remova
Of the revenue tax OF one cent on ever,
hundred matches prices have fallcr
about one-half, and the consumption i
said to have increased nearly one
third.
The largest match factories in thu
world are in Austria two Austrian
firms making almost as many matches
as are made in this country. France
makes more matches than the Unitet
States, having large export trade
They are made by one firm. which, il
1872, agreed to pay the Government
90, 200, 900 year for the exclusive RICH
Of manufacturing for twenty years.
Our American match manufacturer
say that the improvements to be lookc'
for in matches will concern qualit..
rather than cheapness. A match tina
will resist water is much to be desired
also a safety, non-poisonous mattel
which can be lighted without the box
match which will give out pleasan
perfume is desired, and, lastly. mate
of some other material than wood. blu
which must be as cheap. Some curl
osities in the way Of matches have beel
made Of sandal and cedar wood, an
perfumed with camphor; they wef
very expensive. Some of the Japanes
paper matches burn with delicat
scintillation and without odor. but the
also are expensive. All attempts to d
away with phosphorus have been un
satisfactory; some matches have beel
made in Germany without it, but wer
condemned as more dangerous tina
the common kind.-M T. Post